Rolex may produce over a million watches a year, but this doesn’t stop mystery from shrouding it in many aspects. One such aspect is the off-catalogue Rolex models, reserved for VIP clients and usually covered in a variety of different coloured gemstones.
Gem-set pieces would have once been one off commissions for extremely important clients back in the day, but Rolex doesn’t really do that anymore. Rather, they have poured this energy into producing a line-up of contemporary off-catalogue pieces, usually updated every year at Watches & Wonders with an addition or two.
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There is little information on these pieces, and production is highly limited. Here are some of the most interesting and colourful gem-set off-catalogue Rolex models, broken down into their respective reference suffixes.
Starting this article with the Rainbow Daytona only seems appropriate given its position as the most famous off-catalogue Rolex. That being said, it was first conceived long before you might have imagined.
The very first rainbow gem-set Daytona was actually produced in the 90s, a one-off reference 16599 powered by the important Zenith based calibre 4030, housed in a white-gold case. Naturally, the bezel features 36 baguette-cut sapphires in a rainbow gradient, but the dial also features blue sapphire indexes. As well as this, it is pavé-set with diamonds, leaving just a small amount of breathing space for the chronograph subdial counters.
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It was this watch which likely inspired the creation of the well-known production Rainbow Daytona from 2012 – References 116599RBOW and 116598RBOW. These were in white and yellow gold respectively, with matching Oyster bracelets as well as diamond-set lugs and crown guards. The black dials featured brilliant-cut diamond indexes and red hands for the chronograph and subdial counters.
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In 2018, Rolex went a step further and created Reference 116595RBOW. This more modern and refined version was housed in an Everose gold case with a matching Oyster bracelet, diamond-set lugs and crown guards. The dial was also black as standard, but this time with matching rainbow baguette sapphire indexes. Further options included a pavé dial and even a pavé bracelet.
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The SACO suffix, standing for saphirs cognac, highlights the use of orange sapphires which are one of the most striking and attractive colours for a sapphire on a Rolex in my opinion. In 2004, Rolex released a rare and off-catalogue Daytona in yellow gold equipped with orange sapphires on the bezel – reference 116598SACO.
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This watch has been controversial ever since, to say the very least, as it features a matching orange leopard pattern on the dial and strap – if that’s your cup of tea. And just in case this wasn’t enough, the indexes and end-links are fully set with diamonds too! Due to its garish appearance, it actually remains a fairly affordable off-catalogue piece on the open market. But don’t forget, the Rainbow Daytona was once in the same position.
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Rolex has since produced a few more universally appreciated off-catalogue models with orange sapphires. One of them unveiled in 2019 features a full bracelet – Reference 116578SACO. Once again in yellow gold, this model has a mother-of-pearl dial set with diamond indexes. Unlike most gem-set Rolex models, these are the only diamonds on the watch, which means there are none on the lugs or crown guards, allowing the orange sapphires to do a better job of catching admiring glances.
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On that subject, there is also a version on Oyster flex that features no diamonds at all, just the orange sapphires on the bezel and indexes. An even cleaner look.
Next up, we have saphirs brillants, meaning a mixture of sapphire and diamond settings.
It has been spotted most notably on the off-catalogue Rolex Submariner released in 2018 – Reference 116659SABR. The bezel is set with 36 baguette cut blue sapphires, and the lugs and crown guards are once again set with diamonds. A cool feature on this one is the option for a sunburst blue dial to match the stones and bring the price down. If not, a pavé dial will do – and why not a pavé bracelet too?
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Recently, Rolex added the SABR suffix to the Yacht-Master in 2022 – Reference 126679SABR. It features a bezel set with a mixture of pink, purple and blue sapphires as well as diamonds. As the lugs and crown guards are also diamond set, the distinct lack of any naked space on the white-gold case makes for a very clean look, especially when paired with the black dial and oysterflex strap.
This is one of the most classic Rolex gem-set styles, meaning a diamond setting only.
It’s used on a few models, but most unusually on one instance for the GMT, known as the ‘ICE’ – Reference 116769TBR. This watch had a ridiculous retail price of nearly half a million dollars at the time of its release in 2007, and perhaps it was justified. Every inch of this piece is literally covered in diamonds, including the flanks of the case and bracelet – a very rare technique for Rolex. The diamonds in the bezel and centre links of the bracelet are baguette cut, and the dial features a unique wave pattern with more, you guessed it, diamonds set between. All these shiny stones on this model total a whopping 30 carats.
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Fittingly, we leave the very best till last. Emeralds are my personal favourite of the gemstones due to both their gorgeous green colour as well as their rarity. As stones, they are brittle and significantly harder to set, resulting in their sparing use across all luxury brands, including Rolex.
For this reason, Reference 116649EMBR is arguably the greatest Submariner of them all. That’s right, it’s a Submariner. Rolex did not opt to add the most laborious gemstone to the Daytona, but rather to the Submariner, the classic Rolex tool watch. It features a black dial, allowing the both the 36 baguette-cut emeralds on the bezel and also those for the indexes to pop, as well as a pavé bracelet. There is also the option for a pavé dial, as seen below.
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